POF Scam Asking for Your Phone Number or Email? Here's What It Means
By Catie Johnson
Indie Hacker | Substack | Medium
The Short Answer: Is This a POF Scam?
If you're here because someone on Plenty of Fish asked for your phone number, sent you a suspicious email, texted you with a strange request, or is trying to blackmail you—here's what you need to know right now:
If they're asking for your phone number to move the conversation off the app, that's a common POF scam tactic. If they're asking for money, it's definitely a scam. If they're threatening to share intimate photos unless you pay, that's sextortion—and it's a crime.
The good news? Most people on POF are genuine. The platform has millions of real users looking for love. But scammers are smart. They know the loopholes. They create fake profiles, build trust, and then strike.
Your first steps:
- Do not send money. Ever.
- Do not share verification codes.
- Run a reverse image search on their photos using Google Images, Yandex, or Bing.
- Demand a video call. If they refuse repeatedly, that's a major red flag.
- If you're still unsure, use a background check tool like Spokeo, TruthFinder, or PeopleFinder to verify their identity.
Read on for the full breakdown of how these scams work, how to spot them, and exactly how to protect yourself.
Why Scammers Target POF
Before we dive into the red flags, let's understand why POF is such a hunting ground for these people.
Unlike some dating apps that require mutual matches before messaging, POF has historically allowed users to initiate conversations more freely. This lowers the barrier to entry. Scammers can reach out quickly, with zero friction. No waiting. No matching. Just spam and prey.
The platform's free messaging system is great for genuine users looking for love. It's also a gift for scammers looking for victims.
The Most Common POF Scams You Need to Know
I've categorized these based on what I've seen reported widely and what victims have shared in online forums.
1. The Phone Number Scam (POF Scam Asking for Phone Number)
This is the one people ask me about most. Here's how it plays out:
You're chatting with someone who seems perfect. Great photos. Good conversation. Then they hit you with: "I'm not on here much. Can we take this to WhatsApp or Telegram?"
They ask for your phone number. And maybe you give it. Because why not? It's just a number, right?
Here's what can actually happen:
Sharing your phone number isn't automatically dangerous by itself. However, scammers may use it to send phishing texts, spam calls, or gather additional information as part of a broader social engineering attack. They can also sell your number to spam lists or use it to build a more complete profile on you for future scams.
Some scammers take it further. They'll ask you to share a verification code that gets sent to your phone. That code? It's them trying to create a Google Voice number or WhatsApp account using your number.
Never share verification codes with anyone you met online. Period.
2. Financial Romance Scams
This is the big one. The one that destroys lives.
The scammer builds a relationship over days, weeks, or even months. They shower you with attention. They tell you everything you want to hear. Then comes the request.
Could be a medical emergency. Could be they're "stuck overseas" and need money for a plane ticket. Could be an investment opportunity that's "too good to pass up."
They often claim to be in the military or working abroad—any excuse that explains why they can't meet you in person.
If someone you've never met asks you for money, it's a scam. Full stop.
3. Sextortion and Blackmail (Plenty of Fish Scam Blackmail)
This one is terrifying. And it's on the rise.
The scammer initiates a normal conversation. They're charming. They steer things toward sharing intimate photos or videos. Maybe you're comfortable with it. Maybe you're not, but they're persuasive.
Once they have that material, the threats start. They'll say they'll send the photos to your friends, family, or employer unless you pay up.
The FBI Internet Crime Complaint Center received over 75,000 sextortion reports in 2025 alone. That's not a small number.
If this happens to you: Do not pay. Paying never makes it stop. It just tells them you're willing to pay.
4. Phishing Scams (Plenty of Fish Scam Email and Texts)
You might get an email that looks like it's from POF support. It says your account needs verification. Click this link.
Don't click it.
It's a phishing page designed to steal your login credentials. POF will never email you asking for your username and password.
Same goes for text messages claiming to be from POF. If you're unsure, open the app directly—don't click any links.
🛡️ How to Verify Someone's Identity: The Core Investigation
Okay, so you're suspicious. What do you do next? This is where the real work begins. I've studied this topic extensively and here's the systematic approach I recommend for verifying whether someone is who they claim to be.
Step 1: Start with FREE Reverse Image Searches
This is your first line of defense and costs absolutely nothing. Take their profile photo and run it through multiple search engines. I always recommend using all three because each one pulls from different databases.
Google Images: Go to images.google.com, click the camera icon, and paste the image URL or upload the photo. Google scans its massive index to find where else that image appears online.
Yandex Images: This Russian search engine is actually better than Google for facial recognition in many cases. It can find matches that Google misses. Go to yandex.com/images and use the camera icon to upload.
Bing Image Search: Microsoft's offering. Go to bing.com/images, click the camera icon, and upload. It's good to cover all your bases.
Why this matters: If the same photo appears under different names on multiple dating sites, social media profiles, or stock photo websites—you've found a catfish. Legitimate people don't have their photos scattered across the internet with different names.
Here's the truth, though: These free tools don't always work. I've seen many cases where Google Images showed nothing, Bing showed nothing, and Yandex showed nothing. But the person still turned out to be a scammer. That's when you need to move to the next steps.
Step 2: Use Background Check Tools 🔍
When the free methods fail—and they often do—people often turn to paid people search tools. These services pull from public records, social media, court documents, and other databases that Google can't access.
Why Spokeo is Often Recommended
I've seen many people recommend Spokeo based on their experiences. Here's why it's worth considering:
After trying Google and Bing image searches (which often don't yield results), a people-search service like Spokeo can help verify whether publicly available information matches what someone has told you.
The reverse phone lookup feature alone is valuable. It can reveal the registered name, location, carrier, and associated social media profiles. You can see if the name matches what they told you. You can see if they're actually living where they claim to be.
Spokeo also shows email addresses linked to the phone number. If they gave you a different email, that's suspicious. Depending on the available public records and the person's location, reports may include address history, contact information, relatives, and other publicly available records.
The Pricing
Spokeo starts with a 7-day trial for just 95 cents. That's less than a cup of coffee. If you only need it for a one-time check, you can cancel before the 7 days are up.
Yes, it auto-renews if you don't cancel. That's how the subscription model works. But if you're smart about it, you can use the trial to run your checks and cancel before you're charged.
Other Background Check Options
TruthFinder: This one is often recommended for deep public records. It pulls from millions of data sources and gives detailed reports—addresses, phone numbers, relatives, social media profiles, and court records. The downside? It's expensive. Monthly subscriptions run $28-$35. Best for serious investigations where you need every detail.
PeopleFinder: A solid alternative that does a good job pulling public records. It's cheaper than TruthFinder but offers similar features. Worth considering if you want to cross-check results from another service.
Instant Checkmate: Good for extensive records including arrest history, marriage and divorce records, and even sex offender registry information where available. The interface is beginner-friendly. But be careful of false positives—you might get results for people with similar names, so verify carefully.
Intelius: One of the oldest names in people search. Excels at property records and address histories. Also offers reverse phone lookup and email search. Reports are generally reliable, though public data isn't always 100% up-to-date. Offers a $0.95 trial similar to Spokeo.
Social Catfish: This is the go-to for reverse image searches when Google, Yandex, and Bing fail. Upload a photo from a dating site or suspicious profile, and it scans dating sites (Tinder, POF, Bumble, etc.) and social networks to see where else that photo appears online. Perfect for catching catfish using fake pictures. Pricing is reasonable with a free initial search available.
Step 3: Ask for a Video Call
This is extremely important. I cannot stress this enough.
If someone repeatedly refuses every reasonable request for a video call while making excuses and asking for personal information or money, that's a major red flag.
Scammers will give you a million excuses. "My camera's broken." "I'm shy." "I have a bad connection." "Let's just meet in person instead."
But here's the reality: if they're who they say they are, a 30-second video call is easy. It takes no effort. If they consistently refuse, they're likely hiding something.
If they agree but the camera is "glitchy" or the lighting is bad—press them. This is a common tactic where scammers use pre-recorded video loops or try to hide their real identity. Ask them to do something specific, like wave or turn their head. If they can't, that's a warning sign.
Step 4: Check Their Digital Footprint
Beyond reverse image searches and background checks, do some manual digging.
Search their phone number on Google. Just type it in and see what comes up. Associated with any questionable sites? Forum posts? Other profiles?
Search their email address. Same process. Sometimes you'll find they've signed up for services under different names.
Check their social media. Do they have multiple accounts? Are their friends and followers real people? Scammers often have sparse networks with few real connections. Look for tagged photos, comments from friends, consistent location histories.
How to Spot a Scammer: The Checklist
I've been doing enough research to know that scammers follow patterns. Here's my personal checklist for identifying fakes.
Check the Profile
Is it new? Scammers create new accounts constantly because their old ones get reported and shut down. If the profile is only a few days old but the person is acting like they've known you forever—red flag.
Are there only a few photos? Legitimate users typically have multiple photos showing different angles, settings, and activities. Scammers often use a handful of stolen images.
Do the photos look too professional? If it looks like a modeling portfolio, it's probably stolen. Run them through a reverse image search (more on this below).
Is the bio generic? "I love to travel and laugh" with zero specifics is a common template.
Watch the Behavior
They love you too fast. Expressions of deep affection within days of meeting online is a massive red flag. Real love takes time.
They want to move off the app immediately. "I'm never on here" is their favorite excuse. They want to move to WhatsApp or Telegram because POF has moderation tools. Outside the app, they're free to scam without interference.
They refuse video calls. If someone repeatedly refuses every reasonable request for a video call while making excuses and asking for money or personal information, that's a significant red flag. Real people who are genuinely interested will make the effort to connect.
Their stories don't add up. Pay attention to inconsistencies. They might forget details they told you before. Real people have consistent life stories. Scammers have scripts.
They always have an excuse for not meeting. They're overseas. They're traveling for work. They have a family emergency. If you can't meet in person (or at least video chat), treat it as a warning sign.
What to Do If You've Been Scammed
First: stop communication immediately. Don't engage. Don't try to reason with them. Don't threaten them. Just stop.
Save the evidence. Screenshots of the conversation, the profile, any links or payment requests. Make sure timestamps and usernames are visible.
Report them on POF. In the app, go to their profile, tap the shield icon, and select "Report." POF's moderation team reviews reports. Even if you think it won't matter, it helps protect other users.
Report to law enforcement. If you've lost money or been blackmailed, contact your local police and file a report with the FBI's Internet Crime Complaint Center (IC3).
Contact your bank. If you sent money, call your bank immediately. There might be a chance to stop the transaction.
How to Protect Yourself Going Forward
Protect your phone number. Don't give it out to strangers online. Use the dating app's messaging system until you're 100% sure the person is legitimate.
Never send money. I'll say it again. Never. Send. Money. To anyone. Period. For any reason.
Use the platform's moderation tools. Report suspicious profiles immediately. You might be saving someone else from falling for the same trap.
Stay skeptical. It's sad that we have to be this way, but online dating requires skepticism. Trust your gut. If something feels off, it probably is.
Educate yourself. Share this article with friends who are dating online. The more people know about these scams, the less effective they become.
Final Thoughts
Here's the thing I want you to remember: most people on POF are genuine. They're looking for love, just like you. The platform has millions of users, and the vast majority are legitimate.
But the scammers exist. And they're good at what they do. They prey on loneliness and trust. They know how to say the right things.
You are not naive for falling for it. These people are professionals. They do this for a living.
What you can do is be careful. Verify before trusting. Run those reverse image searches. Demand that video call. Use Spokeo or TruthFinder if you need to. And never, ever send money to someone you haven't met in person.
Have you encountered a POF scammer? What happened? Drop your story in the comments—it might help someone else avoid the same trap.
Follow me for more on online safety, digital identity, and staying safe in the wild world of the internet.
Catie Johnson writes on Indie Hacker, Substack, and Medium. She lives in New York and spends her free time answering questions on Reddit and Quora.
